In the media and the blogosphere from both the right and the left, everybody’s got something different to say from the other. The more we try to update ourselves, the more confusing this all becomes.
In addition to busty hookers and wild parties filled with cocaine and booze as well as alleged influence peddling , blackmail and business corruption; add to this an ethics commissioner who is appearing more ethically challenged these days. She first says that she refuses to investigate Guergis and then she tells the CBC that Brother Steve never asked her to investigate in the first place, in spite of Steve announcing last Friday that he would ask the ethics commissioner to investigate along with the RCMP. One must wonder: which is it? Brother Steve is most certainly not above lying and being very secretive, but what about Mary Dawson? Is she less than ethical?
Derek Snowdy, the private investigator who is said to have provided Brother Steve the straw that broke the camel’s back, is said to be a ‘Harpercon’ himself. Although, according to Bob Fife, it seems that the Snowdy approached Peter Donolo before dumping his info on the Harpercons’ lawyer. It seems that Donolo refused. However, CTV doesn’t seem to offer any more details on that front. Is that even true? If so, why would Donolo refuse, one might ask? I was curious so I checked around the net for other stories on that subject and only found this from the Toronto Star, with whom Snowdy had been chatting it up. Again, more contradiction; well, sort of:
“A receptionist took a call from someone who said he was a private investigator last Thursday. The call was never returned. We have no record of any e-mail,” Lague wrote in an email Thursday. “We don’t deal with private investigators. So no meeting was turned down because the call was never returned.”
Mario Lague is Iggy’s communications director.
Some ‘devoted’ conservative member. Again, simple explanation most probably. I think Snowdy, like many typical private investigators or in similar lines of work was looking for the highest dollar to buy his information. After all, if Snowdy was simply offering to give this info away, would Lague or Donolo have turned it down, even if as Lague says, they don’t usually deal with private investigators? Maybe. Maybe not.
Whatever the case, I don’t think Donolo or Lague thought this was worth while.
Jeff Jedras of A BCer in Toronto, I think summarizes this whole debacle to date best. Like Jeff, I think many others, like myself, agree that in the end, this is nothing more than melodrama involving disfunctional people excercising poor judgement. Most of the info coming out of the media these days is pretty trivial.
The media circus is going to continue. Like some of us have been saying, Iggy, really time to change your tune! If Donolo or Lague honestly thought there was something earth shattering Snowdy had to offer them this time, coupled with the Liberals’ weak numbers, dealing or not dealing with any PIs, wouldn’t they have made more efforts to attempt to track down Snowdy and find out what he’s got? Right now, it doesn’t sound like much effort was made on the part of Lague or Donolo to track this down.
Iggy came out about health care recently, it’s time for him to concentrate on finding ways to protect the Canada Health act and how to ensure that health care remains universal, as well as the economy, jobs and yes, keep lighting that torturegate heat under the Harpercons; that seems to be something Steve really wants to be kept hidden. As Jeff says, there were many great ideas that came out of the Can 150 event; it is time that Iggy and team Liberal started putting that red book together.
As for the Conservative drop in numbers post-Guergis, Steve is doing a fine job of sinking himself with his mishandling of the whole Guergis affair.
Yes, the Liberals were right to turn this down and now it is up to Iggy to follow through with more important things that Steve would only love to remain on the back burner long enough to be hopefully forgotten. It is Iggy’s job to keep these issues front and center.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by CK . CK said: My, What Disfunctional People! Iggy, Take a Hint! Don’t Get Sucked Into This Insanity! http://bit.ly/cwMba0 [...]
Hey CK,
Say what you will, people are lapping this stuff up.
I am glad Donolo took a pass on the info, I wouldn’t want my fingerprints on any of that.
Apparently the PI, is 13 million in debt which calls into question his motivations.
The real issue is how Harper has handled this, you have to seriously question his judgement.
He shows his Nixon like qualities more and more.
That coupled with the really ugly stuff coming out about Afghanistan, and throw in a few spending scandals arising out of the EAP.
I think we might be heading to the polls before June.
It will be nice to rid Canada, of the stain of Stephen Harper.
Have a good one,
Sir Gallahad
I don’t think Snowdy was trying to shop his info. It seems he has a client in this case. Snowdy let slip that, after being rebuffed by the Libs, his client instructed him to contact a Tory party lawyer.
That may just be the most interesting facet of this whole affair – who is Snowdy acting for, what is the nature of this investigation, what axe does Snowdy’s client have to grind and with whom?
I’ll bet Jaffer knows who Snowdy’s client is.
Clearly you have no idea how the thousands of Private Investigators in Canada make their living. 21 years in the business and I have yet to ever hear of someone “shopping” information to potential buyers. You take your directions from clients and do as instructed as long as it is legal and ethical. Clearly from the current “blogs” “tweets” and “journals” several internet users have decided to fill in the blanks with theories of their own and state them as the facts of the matter. Simply put my dear…this was and still is a Private investigative matter and some of the details remain private…the public has no right to them.
Taking our cue from Master Steve, are we? What do you want from me; milk and cookies?
What kind of cookies? Who be master Steve?
I just caught your concern that I am unhappy with your comments…I think you may have me confused with someone else. It is an observation that along with many others you have formed opinions on a topic without knowing all the facts…its okay lots of others have done the same thing. I am curious more than anything to wonder why people feel they are entitled to any of the information in this case. I have tons of emails from reporters that say “WE MUST TALK TO YOU” and “YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN THIS OR THAT”….reality is…I don’t have to explain anything…I find it rather amusing that everyone has this sense of entitlement.
I have read your musings before. You seem to be rather insightful and informed. I’m surprised you got sucked into this circus.